Excessive vibration and/or shock during fabrication and assembly cycles, as well as during shipping, can damage fragile parts. Additionally, mechanical shock (such as dropping a device) is a critical damage-inducing event in many consumer and industrial electronics systems or packages. Thus, shock sensors are sometimes used in applications to monitor or detect shock forces imparted to an object that is fragile, under investigation, or of sufficient value. By way of example, monitoring the acceleration loads imposed on a package or system during fabrication, assembly, shipping, and in use can provide valuable information about the severity of a mechanical shock event and the likelihood of damage due to this event.
Accelerometers may be installed in some packages and systems as shock sensors to monitor for excessive acceleration, which can be an indicator of mechanical shock. Unfortunately, the use of conventional accelerometers in such packages and systems can require a constant power draw even when no acceleration or impact is present. In small-scale and/or long life packages and systems, such power draw can be highly undesirable. Therefore, no-power, small, low cost micromechanical shock sensor configurations are needed that could monitor for excessive shock and/or vibration during fabrication, assembly, and shipping activities, as well as in a wide variety of end use consumer and industrial devices.